Forever Red
by CarnalCoast
Summary: Onoda struggles with the difference between a "date" and "hanging out with a friend".


The trees rustled and moaned along with the wind; Onoda listened as they passed by, and smiled. Today was beautiful in every way possible. The sky wasn't vibrant, but still clear and fresh, only with a moderate breeze every once in a while. Turning his head to the boy riding alongside him, Onoda's heart gave an extra few beats.

Manami looked as beautiful as the scenery with that serene smile on his face. His fluttering hair caught Onoda's eye, and he felt himself blushing slightly. It looked so soft... If only he could touch it...

At once, Manami turned that trademark smile in his direction, and Onoda looked away hurriedly while laughing it off. To his relief, Manami didn't seem to mind, his smiling ceaseless.

"Are you having fun, Sakamichi-kun?"

"Ah..." His mind raced to find an answer, just as it always did whenever Manami talked to him. He couldn't help it; for some reason, Manami easily flustered him. It wasn't anyone's fault. Just one of those things that happened, that's all.

"I'm having lots of fun, Manami-kun!" Oh no, did that sound too forced?

"Good!" Luckily, the other was still smiling brightly. Onoda let out a soft sigh of relief and continued pedaling. It wasn't as if they were racing; it was just a short ride, for leisure's sake. So why did he have to become flustered so easily?

Unexpectedly, Manami accelerated, and Onoda had no choice but to follow him, appreciative of the wind gracing his flushed skin. It was at times like these when Onoda wished he could burst into song, and he'd thought about singing multiple times since he started riding with Manami today. But he couldn't yet. Manami's opinion was extremely important to him; what if the other climber thought that the singing was weird, or too childish? Perhaps Onoda would show him his "technique" one day, but not yet.

Caught up in his inner turmoil, Onoda barely noticed that Manami had stopped at the bottom of the slope. Gradually slowing to a halt beside him, Onoda called, "Manami-kun, are we stopping here?"

Manami had been obviously waiting for him, so Onoda felt dumb for asking, but the other didn't regard him with any annoyance. He simply replied with that smile, "Yes. It's getting pretty late, so I need to get home."

It seemed reasonable; they'd been riding for a few hours now, and Manami's house was further away from this point. Still, Onoda felt a spark of remorse, though he couldn't quite figure out why. Rubbing the back of his neck, he flashed a smile back.

"Ah, well, this was really fun, Manami-kun! Thanks for asking to hang out today... Um, I hope it doesn't take too long for you to get home!"

"Thanks; I had fun too! And, Sakamichi-kun..."

"Y-Yes...?" Manami's tone made the blush reappear on his cheeks, and he couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive.

"Would you like to go out with me next Saturday?"

He almost let out a squawk of surprise, but managed to stifle it, his face now a brighter shade of red.

'_Go out'? _What did _'go out'_ entail?

A date? Is that what Manami was asking for? Well, Onoda couldn't very well ask for clarification... Because what if he was wrong? That would be _too _embarrassing...

...But what if he was right? Before today, when Manami asked if they could go riding together, he specifically said _'hang out', _not _'go out'_. Was it just a slip of the tongue, or did _'go out'_ really have a different meaning? Onoda simply couldn't get his head around it... All he could do, was...

"Y-Yes! Of course, Manami-kun! I would love to go out wi—Ah, um, I—Next Saturday is fine for me!" Well, that didn't go as planned. After that display of Onoda stumbling over his words and blushing vividly, there was no way Manami couldn't understand what he implied...

And yet...

"Great! I'll be at your house at five, then? Does a picnic sound nice? You won't need to prepare anything; I can handle that!"

Onoda nodded twice, his head feeling funny.

"Thanks, Sakamichi-kun! I'll see you Saturday!" With that, Manami rode away with an excited grin, leaving Onoda to his jumbled thoughts.

So... was it a date, then? A picnic _did _sound like a romantic event that typically happened on dates, so perhaps... But Manami never _said _it was a date... But he saw how Onoda blushed, right...? But...

Onoda buried his face in his hands; all he was doing was running in circles at this point. His head would be filled with thoughts of Manami throughout the week; he was certain of that.

"Onoda-kun, you don't understand! I keep on getting this feeling... That guy is at least a _little_ creepy! Don't you think?" In his unfortunate desperation, Naruko turned to Imaizumi for assistance.

"Yeah. Definitely. Onoda, you should reconsider." No hesitation in his reply.

Usually, it would be an odd sight to see; Imaizumi and Naruko, although they had a tendency to almost always agree, would usually try their hardest to make it seem like they were on different sides. Onoda catching them kissing after practice a few times didn't change that fact. Whatever newfound relationship they'd formed—no, Onoda didn't feel the need to ask too much—still didn't change their fiery rivalry.

However, when it came to strange boys from Hakone trying to court _their _Onoda, they had to side together. And now, with both of them staring at him intently, Onoda felt cornered.

"Um, I appreciate you guys looking out for me... But, Manami-kun isn't creepy at all! He's really nice... and stuff... and he asked me nicely... and..." Onoda trailed off with an embarrassed blush, not sure how to put his feelings into words, especially when he wasn't sure of anything himself. Luckily, Imaizumi's face instantly softened.

"I see. Naruko, lay off." He pushed the shorter boy back a bit, and Naruko turned the glare his way for a second, before huffing and looking back at Onoda's pleading face.

"Whatever... I still don't like this..." He grumbled, strolling away defiantly to sprawl out on Onoda's bed—the only place in the room that wasn't littered with various articles of clothing. "And since I don't like it, I'm not helping. I'll just watch."

Onoda sighed in relief that he at least didn't put up any more of a fight, although Imaizumi rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's childish behavior. When hearing that a boy from the rival team had supposedly "asked Onoda out", Imaizumi and Naruko questioned him vigorously. Even when Onoda answered most of their questions, they insisted on helping him decide what to wear the day of the date. Onoda, all the while reiterating that _no, it wasn't a date, _thought of refusing at first; it was only a picnic, so he didn't see the need in having to dress up. In the end, though, he could only accept their offer, secretly thankful that he had friends who cared so much.

So, here they were, with Onoda's clothes spread all over the floor and Naruko now refusing to help.

"It's fine; we can do it without him. His fashion sense would only be detrimental to us, anyway." Imaizumi stated coolly, earning an indignant squawk from Naruko and a giggle from Onoda.

As it turned out, Imaizumi's fashion sense didn't particularly appeal to Onoda either; nothing against his friend—the outfits he picked out just didn't look 'right' on Onoda. On Imaizumi, they would've looked great, though.

"Oi, that shirt! The one next to the blue! Yeah, there—that one would look good with those pants. Use that one instead!" Once in a while, Naruko would interrupt from his spot on the bed, with some sort of suggestion in mind.

Every time, though, he would be shut down by Imaizumi, "You said you didn't want to help. That means you forfeited your right to make any suggestions—pipe down."

"Uwah?! Forfeited—Hotshot, you're a prick!"

Although Onoda laughed at their banter, by the end of their time spent at his house, the sexual tension between his two friends was as dense as a brick wall that Onoda was unfortunately being pressed against. Slightly awkward.

On the other hand, he did finally pick out a decent outfit. Just a simple, loose button-up shirt, with slacks that thankfully weren't as baggy as the ones he usually wore. Both of his friends nodded in approval, so he guessed it would be good enough for Manami as well. He hoped. Naruko and Imaizumi granted him wishes of good luck as they left, though, and Onoda was feeling slightly better about his impending... get-together with Manami. Yes. That's what it was.

"Oh, Sakamichi, those were your friends leaving just now, weren't they?" Cue his dear, oblivious mother, appearing in the kitchen doorway with a smile on her face. Looking her son up and down, a dreamy look sparkled in her eyes. "Ah, you look so different! Are those the clothes for your date later today?"

At her brash words, Onoda's face turned red as he stammered out, "M-Mom! It isn't a date or anything—just a picnic, that's all! Uh..." Eager to escape her, Onoda ran up the stairs as fast as he could, leaving his mother chuckling to herself behind him.

An hour before five, Onoda felt his stomach already turning.

A few minutes before five, his face was slowly turning paler, and he had to slap himself a few times.

Ten minutes _after _five, Onoda was sure he was going to throw up. Manami wasn't here yet.

Was he going to bail? Did he simply forget? And after Onoda picked out a blanket for them to bring along, too... Yes, Manami had said that he didn't need to do any preparing, but if he didn't do _anything_ then he would've just felt guilty the whole night.

Almost ready to call it quits, Onoda was startled by the doorbell finally ringing. His nerves completely shot by now, he opened the door and managed a smile back at Manami. Much like Onoda, he wasn't wearing anything that deviated from his regular style, which helped him calm down somewhat. Manami didn't dress up that much, either, so...

"Hello, Sakamichi-kun! Sorry I'm late!" Manami raised the picnic basket slightly, as if it was an apology gift, and Onoda shook his head.

"That's alright, Manami-kun! I'm just relieved you're here..." He chuckled nervously while holding the checkered blanket out to Manami. "Um... I thought I would take this along, for us to sit on... Since you brought all the food, and..."

Manami smiled brightly and took the blanket, throwing it over his shoulder. "Perfect! How did you know that I'd forgotten a blanket, Sakamichi-kun?"

Blushing, Onoda raised his hands anxiously. "Ah, I j-just thought—!"

"It's okay," Manami assured him amid his own laughter, already walking away and leaving Onoda to trail closely behind. "I picked out a spot, but it's about 30 minutes away. We'll have to take the bus. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all!"

They chatted throughout the bus ride; it seemed like only a few minutes had passed before they were already there, and Manami was pointing him in the direction of a grassy, lonesome hill with a single willow tree atop it. In awe of the site's beauty, Onoda helped Manami set up the picnic in a daze, and the two began eating without preamble. He had to admit, he was still rather nervous about exactly _what_ this outing was supposed to mean; however, the food was great, the scenery was stunning, and Manami seemed to be enjoying himself. This... probably _was_ just supposed to be an outing between _friends_, wasn't it? So far, that's what it seemed to be.

For some reason, Onoda felt a little disheartened by the realization, though it also helped him relax. He sighed; they'd been silent for a while, so he allowed himself to get lost, leaning back and looking ahead to the sky. The sun was just starting to set, and their surroundings were completely quiet—not even a few chirping birds, or rustling leaves...

"You have some chocolate on your face, Sakamichi-kun." Manami's voice cut through the stillness.

"O-Oh!" Startled, Onoda quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth with. "Thanks..."

"You're welcome."

...Well then. Onoda resumed leaning back to gaze at the now auburn sky, but it wasn't the same. He could practically feel the awkwardness surrounding them, pressing up against him on all sides, closing in... What just happened? Onoda was tempted to look at Manami, just to gauge his attitude, but fear and nervousness stopped him.

Suddenly, he felt something soft brush his hand. And then rest itself on top of it. It was warm... Holding his breathe, he managed to look beside him.

Yes, that was definitely Manami's hand on top of his own. Why? His hand was probably clammy, sweaty... In anxiousness, he almost instinctively yanked himself away, but the warmth of Manami's hand managed to keep him. Red-faced, he ventured a look to Manami's face... The other was simply looking forwards, smiling at the sunset with a sparkle in his eyes.

Seeing the serenity, Onoda couldn't help but relax himself. Never mind that he was beginning to shake somewhat—in excitement, anticipation, or something else, he didn't know—Manami was holding his hand, and _enjoying himself_. Or seeming to, at least. The sun bathed him in an orange-red glow, and Onoda's blush deepened... This, for sure, was romantic...

And then, instead of looking at Manami's radiant profile, he was suddenly looking into those shining eyes. He blinked once, awestruck, as Manami tilted his head with a smile. Onoda's eyes stayed wide, however; Manami had noticed him staring, and was _okay_ with that?

Was Manami's heart beating as fast as his own was right now? Perhaps... It could've been only a sensory hallucination, but Onoda swore he could feel Manami's pulse fast against his hand.

Abruptly, Manami's eyes opened again, his head straightening as he stared intensely. Onoda tried to gulp, but his throat was too dry; did he do something wrong? He didn't do anything, but Manami looked so serious...

His concerned thoughts were cut off by a pair of lips pressed so precariously against his own, it almost felt like everything would break apart if one of them moved too forcibly in the wrong direction. He couldn't think, only stay staring into Manami's eyes, which were staying open... The intensity made him want to close his eyes, but he couldn't. They seemed to be stuck.

There wasn't much movement at all, and their lips were dry against each other. As quick as it happened, it was over, and Manami was leaning back slowly with a light blush dusting his cheeks. Onoda guessed he looked much worse, his face probably red as the sunset.

For another minute, the dead silence continued, and Onoda could only stare back into Manami's eyes, unable to think. The feeling still lingered on his lips, a constant reminder.

Breaking the silence, a cellphone suddenly rang; it might as well have been a gunshot, and both boys jumped in surprise. Smiling apologetically, Manami answered his phone, and Onoda waited patiently and nervously through his conversation.

After he ended the call, Manami shot him another apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have to hurry up and get home soon... We can get you home first, and then I'll take the bus back to Hakone. How's that sound?"

Onoda nodded, not trusting himself with words at this point. As they gathered the blanket and basket, the silence returned, although the awkwardness seemed to have made its leave for good.

The bus was quick to come, and it was easy to find a space for themselves so late in the evening. Still bathed in oranges and reds, Manami looked at him worriedly as soon as they sat down. At first, Onoda was confused, but suddenly realized that he'd been shaking.

"Ah, Manami-kun, I'm just a little cold... It's pretty chilly out..." It was true; for a spring day, the temperature was dropping awfully low, especially now that they were nearing dusk.

"Let me lend you my jacket, then!"

"N-No, that's fine—" Onoda's attempted protests did nothing; Manami had already begun taking off his ash grey jacket, trying his best to drape it over Onoda's shoulders. Sighing, he relented, another blush appearing.

"Thanks..."

Manami hummed in acknowledgement, leaning back. They were quiet again for a few minutes; in fact, the whole bus was silent, the riders being mostly adults who just endured hours of hard work and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Although Onoda's thoughts were still racing about what exactly that kiss meant—he had a pretty good idea—the warmth of Manami's jacket soothed him, and his own head soon felt fuzzy with the need for sleep. Not to mention, his hyperactive nerves running haywire throughout the entire day had sucked all the energy out of him.

Opening and closing his eyes in a daze, Onoda looked to Manami, determined to stay awake... Only now, Manami was already asleep, his head tilted forwards, eyes closed, and mouth slightly agape. The sight of those lips made him gulp, and he turned away.

Amid his confused thoughts, somehow, Onoda fell asleep while still sitting up, just as Manami did. When he awoke, Manami was shaking him vigorously, and—when had he started leaning against Manami's shoulder?

"A—Ah, Manami-kun... Sorry..." He jumped up unsteadily with a yawn, trying to orient himself. Realizing the bus wasn't moving, he looked around—it was his stop.

"It's okay. I need to stay on, but this is your house..." His own voice also thick with sleep, Manami smiled, and Onoda abruptly kicked into gear.

"Of course! Um, here's your jacket back! Thank you for letting me use it!" Hurriedly, he unzipped it—since when had he actually put it on, anyway?—and handed it over.

"Any time... Sakamichi-kun, I had a great time today. Thanks for this date..." Manami leaned down to kiss his cheek, and Onoda stayed still as a statue, eyes wide and cheeks red.

"...I-I had a good time too..." He managed to choke out, his heart beating rapidly. So this is what this was. It was a date.

"Oh, and don't forget your blanket." Manami handed it over, and Onoda took it thoughtlessly.

"Thanks... I'll see you soon, then?" He asked uncertainly, already inching towards the bus door.

"Of course! Bye for now, Sakamichi-kun." Manami shot him one of his serene smiles, and Onoda finally smiled back wide.

"G-Goodbye!" He called happily as he stepped off, waving to the departing bus. Letting out a happy and relieved sigh, he had to lean against his front door for a few moments...

His date—Manami had been his date. Surely, this meant, he had feelings... Special feelings, for _Manami. _Manami was his _special person_. His... boyfriend? Were they boyfriends? He supposed they would have to talk about it, but he didn't care at the moment; all he cared about was this realization, that Manami was his _special person._

With another delightful sigh, he entered his house, trying to close the door as quietly as he could... His effort was futile, though, considering his mother was already standing with her arms crossed in the kitchen doorway, an expectant smile on her face.

"So, you finally return! How was your date? You _have_ to tell me how things went!" She raved excitedly, and Onoda raised his hands in defense.

"Mom, i-it—!" Well, he could no longer say that it wasn't a date... "...It went... great. It was nice. I'm pretty tired, though... Can't we talk about it in the morning?" He proposed while blushing; he should've known his mother would do something like this...

"Hm, well I suppose... You get some sleep, then! Be well rested!" She complied reluctantly, and Onoda nodded before racing upstairs, eager to escape any other attacks she would make.

As he lay in bed, though, he had trouble falling asleep... Maybe it was because he'd slept on the bus, but he knew it was mostly because he was thinking too much about Manami... His _special person. _His _first kiss! _It definitely wasn't what he'd expected it to be, but he was more than satisfied with it... It came from Manami, after all.

He fell asleep with his face still red and heart still beating fast.

Meanwhile, Manami crept into his house at a quarter to midnight, intent on not waking anyone. The picnic site had been well away from his house, and he spent more time riding buses than he did with Onoda... It was worth it, though. It was Sakamichi, after all.

With practiced sneakiness, he managed to store away the picnic basket and enter his bedroom soundlessly, although he wasn't planning on going to sleep at the moment. He could always do that in school.

Instead, he stayed awake with a smile, only one thing on his mind.

_Sakamichi-kun..._


End file.
